


Crazy In Love

by icehuggy



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gotham, Jerome Valeska x Reader - Freeform, OOC, Original Character(s), Past Abuse, Possessive Behavior, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, Spoilers, Stalking, cutting/scars, if you dont like self harm STEP AWAY, is jerome the joker?, jerome valeska - Freeform, mention of murder, no lemon, this is sin, trigger warning, very dark things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-22
Updated: 2016-11-25
Packaged: 2018-09-01 10:31:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8621023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icehuggy/pseuds/icehuggy
Summary: Jerome Valeska has had his eyes on you for a long time, but what happens when he comes after you?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for the support recently, it makes me DUPER SUPER HAPPY!!
> 
> This is very badly written he's so out of character! I like to think maybe he is secretly a nice guy, but he's also totally crazy, and it switches around sometimes.

Jerome was riding down the street on a Humvee, equipped with machine guns and a couple guys who wanted to be on his side, the winning side. You breathe in deeply, hearing yelling and rumbling, and in the distance, loud and demented laughter. You chew on your lip and pull up your hood, tossing your y/hc hair around. You look back and see people literally running people over. You whimper softly, already terrified. You knew who Jerome was, but people like Jim Gordon were supposed to protect people like you from people like him. You ran away from the street, your bag bouncing up and down on your back. You walked down the sidewalk, looking for an alley. You hoped you wouldn't get jumped like that rich kids' parents if you were lucky enough to find one, but to be honest, Gotham was rich with dark alleys. The rumbling grew louder and you darted into an alley, hiding behind a couple of large trash cans, labeled WAYNE ENTERPRISES, just in case. A voice called out.  
"Hey, dolly! Where'd you run off to?" It was, unmistakably, Jerome's voice. You cursed under your breath. Was he looking for you? Of course not. You felt like an egomaniac. You aren't special. He called out again. "Hey, birdy..." He cooed, and the Humvee passed by your alley. He ordered the driver to stop, and you watched it happen. He hopped off of it, spinning around and stopping once he faced the alley again, pointing at the trashcans in front of you. "I spy, with my little eye..." He murmured tauntfully, smirking as he came closer. "I know you're there, so come out, hm?" He teased, walking even closer. You slid further down behind the cans, breathing heavily. Your heart was beating fast and loud, and your whole body was throbbing with fear. You waited for a moment, the silence deafening, and you finally peeked out. He was bending over, his hands on his knees, and he was looking straight at you. You jumped backwards, and let out a yelp. He smirked and stood up all the ways. "Dolly, why ya hiding?" He let out a loud laugh. You were going pale, you could feel it. You looked over his body, and he was unarmed. Strange. Maybe he had a knife or blade of some sort hidden on his body, you wondered. How would he kill you? A slit to the throat, gun to the chest, poisonous gas or something worse?  
"What do you want?" You asked, already drained from courage. It was hard not to curl up and cry and sleep and just forget. But that was not a choice.  
"Aw, sweetie. I just want you..." He pointed at you. "To come with moi!" He pointed to himself and imitated a French accent. He was crazy, a murderer, a psychopath.  
"Please... Please leave me alone. Don't hurt me." You respond, the situation catching up with you.  
He frowned, and gave you puppy eyes.  
"But doll, I just want to talk for a bit. Please? I won't hurt you, swear on my mothers grave." He cackled. You just nodded, stepping out from behind the dumpsters. He offered you his hand. How many people's blood had covered those hands? Too many than you wanted to think about. You shook your head. He shrugged, and escorted you back to the Humvee. He opened the car door. "In you go, lady bird." He hummed, smiling. You stepped in, and he followed. You scooched to the window seat of the other side of the car. You strapped yourself in and curled into a ball, burying you face in your knees. You peered over at Jerome. He was staring at you, and grinned when you caught him.You blushed slightly and the driver started up the car, roaring down the street.  
  
*Later*  
  
You were in what you supposed was the Maniax's house. It was surprisingly clean and tidy, and you had been given your very own bedroom, as Jerome had chosen the largest mansion is Arkham, other than the Wayne manor. You were waiting in your room, sitting on your bed and playing with the sheets. They were white, and the quilt was a cherry tree design, and it was quite pretty. You traced the design with your pointer finger, and a loud knock was heard at your door. You jumped up, and your heartbeat increased. "Yoo-hoo!" Jerome called, opening the door with his arms spread wide. You stared at him in response. He sashayed over to you, smiling evilly. "Darling, let's talk about things. Who are you? I mean, I know your name, (Y/N)." You, for some strange reason, were not surprised. He looked over you, taking in your clothing. A sweater, long sleeve shirt, which he couldn't see, and jeans. He frowned. "Its early fall, what's with the clothes? Not cold." He walked over to you and you looked down. Did he know? No one else did. There were the few you'd tried to date, and when you did date, they'd see you as yourself and leave you before you could say 'let me explain'. He was a few feet away from you. "Trying to hide something." He smirked, and took a step closer. You took a small step back in response. "I get cold easily." You mumble back shyly. He nodded, and spun around. "Don't take me for a fool, (Y/N)." He chuckled and furrowed his brows. "Who did what to you?" He growled. He seemed so... possessive. You swallowed nervously, and chewed on your lip. "I... I... My older brother, my parents, boyfriend..." You choked out. He stuck out his bottom lip and took a large step, ending up right next to you. He put his arm around your shoulder and looked up at the ceiling. "Hm, hm, hm, I see." He nodded and rubbed your shoulder gently. You flinched, and he backed off, hands above his head as he took steps backwards. "They... They would hurt me, use me, break me... And my boyfriend, he... He drove me over the edge and I started... You know." He frowned and sat on a padded bench in the corner of the room. "So, you were abused, mm? You cut, poor birdy... You're probably emotionally destroyed. Lonely and sad." He patted the seat next to him. "C'mon. Don't be so sad. Try and be happy for a little while. Don't be so shy." He smirked, his eyes full of evil. You nodded, slowly walking over to the seat. He watched you, his head turning to keep you in his vision with every step. You sat next to him and he gestured to your shoulders. "May I?" You nod. "It's fine." You mutter, and he wrapped an arm around your shoulders. He giggled. "Oh, I'm Jerome, as you may know. I have been... Keeping check on you for a while, as one might say. Watching." You shudder. This man terrifies you, but he almost, almost fascinates you. Almost. He stretched his head back. "I thought I knew everything about you, hm, but I suppose not." You were blushing. Did this man, crazy Jerome Valeska, love you? Something strange like that? Maybe he stalked women all the time, and maybe men too, you weren't one to judge. You breathed deeply. "You stalk people?" You ask, looking over at him. It shouldn't have, but feeling someone touch you without hurting you felt nice. It was new. He shook his head. "No, no, no, dolly... I don't stalk people, I stalk you." He grinned and looked over at you. You were still blushing, and you looked away. He ran a finger over your inner arm softly, using his free hand. His expression softened, which she hadn't seen ever, not on television, in photos, in the short time he knew you. "Birdy..." He whispered, looking at her arms. "Don't do that stuff ever again." He growled softly. You shivered and nodded. "I won't." He nodded and rubbed you shoulder roughly, standing up and turning back to his normal expression. "Rest up." He said, and he left. You sat there for hours, and when the sun began to set, you slipped off your shoes and crawled into your bed, falling asleep quickly.

  
  
The next morning, you wake with a start. You wonder where you are and are quickly reminded by loud laughing in the halls. You grumble and sit up. Jerome walks in, grinning, and skips to your bed.  
"Birdy!" He exclaims with a laugh. You yawn. "I suppose you need clothes, huh?" Jerome asks, smirking mischievously. You shake your head. He shrugs.  
"Jerome... Why did you stalk me?" You ask quietly. It had kept you tossing and turning all night, that question. He giggled.  
"Ooh, questions already." He was excited. He yawned. "Saw you one day, cute. Got some information. Age, birthday, address, family, everything..." You blush deeply. He called you cute. "Its middle school all over again. A crush, a crush, a crush!" He said excitedly. You were sure if he kept talking, your face would never lose the deep shade of red it currently was.  
"Oh. Oh, I see. Oh." You mutter, and your heart beats faster. He winks at you and walks out of the room, leaving you sitting on the bed as the blush faded from your face. You sat up and slid your sleeves up your shirt, running a finger over a few of your scars, tears welling up in your eyes. You covered them again, and sniffled. He'd stop loving you soon, and you knew it. You were a burden, after all.  
After changing into some clean clothes which were a bit too big for you, and eating a quick breakfast, you sat in the main room. Tall, carved, wooden pillars help up the high ceilings. It was classy, pretty, white walls with dark wooden highlights. You sit on a fancy white sectional, as people pass through the room they ignore you. You haven't seen Jerome in a while, and you're wondering. He's funny, and charming, and cute, but he's also a crazy murderer. Run or stay? Engage in a relationship with him? You don't know where to start with this. He was right, you're lonely, and angry, with nowhere to go, but he... He was crazy. But, in a way, you were too. You sighed, thinking and staring at the patterned carpet when Jerome jumped onto the couch, legs crossed. He grinned at you. "Thinking?" He asked, looking at you and leaning his head on the palms of his hands. You nod and look back at him. "Yeah. It's pretty fun." You blink and curl your toes, looking around the big room. "So, I thought about, what you told me earlier." You leave out the details. "And..." You shrug, blushing slightly. Jerome frowns and tilts his head. "Did you? That's nice." He nodded thoughtfully. You didn't know what to say or do. Tell him you wanted to go out to dome goddamn fancy restaurant for dinner? Wear a sleeveless dress? Make him wear a fancy tux and eat expensive sushi? No. He's a childish guy. You shrug. "I don't know. I thought. I'm still kind of thinking." You mumble. "(Y/N), I have some, uh... Publicity work to do, if you will, and it's got to be done. If you have something to say, say it." He says, flashing an evil grin and winking at you. You shook your head. "Nope. Go do your work." You smile, and stand up. You walk out if the room and wander around. Stupid, stupid, stupid, should have said something. You walk up and down the stairs, and decide to go back to your room. Just knowing a psycho is tiring. You manage an hour of sleep before waking again. Sitting up, you look around, stretching and getting up. You look for Jerome and find a bulky man who towers over you. "Excuse me, sir, do you know where Jerome is?" You ask quietly, looking up at him. He nods. "Should be back any minute now." He says roughly, and you nod. You thank him and walk away, deciding not to explore the basement and instead to wait in the foyer. Finally, Jerome enters the room with a cackle and slams the double doors shut behind him. "I'm back, ha ha! That'll hit the papers for sure." He exclaims to no one in particular before wandering over to you. "Hello, miss." He says, and he pulls you up from your seat. "I just bombed the bank, hm, fun. I walked in, made a speech, dropped a bomb, got out of there just in time. Good work, eh?" His face is covered in soot, and cuts decorate his forehead and cheeks. "You might want to wash your face. Those cuts might have dirt in them." You explain with a frown. He pouts and walks off, heading towards hopefully a bathroom. You stand and wait, soot on your shirt from where he pulled you up. You blow it off and silently chastising yourself. You love a murderer. He just bombed a bank. Wait, did you just admit you loved him? Oh, no... You shook your head and called Jerome's name. He came running, his face gladfully cleaned. He stood in the entrance to the large room. "Yes, birdy? What's the problem?" He asked, waltzing into the large room. You clasp your hands together and bounce back and forth on the heels of your toes. "Well... This might sound ridiculous, because I've known you for about a day." He smirks, and you know he already knows what you're going to say. "But... I think that maybe I really like you." You mumble. You don't say love, and you sound like a little kid telling their fourth grade crush that they like them. You growl softly to yourself and clench your hands into fists. "I see! Well, this is working out just pleasantly, isn't it?" He spins around - why does he always do that? - and looks back at you. "I think I should maybe go home." You say quickly. "My parents will miss me soon." His expression changes again. "Ma'am, from what you've told me of your family, and the way you carry yourself, you don't need your family right now." This is why you wished you were a year older, then you'd be eighteen. Legally allowed to leave your family forever. But he's right. You don't want to go. And Jerome is kind, even if he is a murderous psychopath. "Right. Probably true, isn't it." You reply dryly. You aren't blushing, you just feel awkward and desperate. A day with a guy who basically kidnapped you, and you love him. Great! "Look, birdy, don't expect much from me. I'm not taking you out to dinner, or on expensive trips around the world, and I'm never setting up a bedroom of candles." You blush. You know this about him, it's so obvious. You notice his attitude completely change. He's being... sane. "But what I will do is give you a home, food, and some love from my gorgeous self! Plus, me and Aaron and the other people here probably won't hurt you." He changes his attitude, pointing to himself and laughing maniacally. "Oh... Okay." You blush and giggle a little, his happiness contagious. He grins evilly, and does that funny thing where his eyes are glaring up at you and he's grinning and for some inexplicable reason it's adorable and menacing at the same time. You smile back softly. "Now, birdy, you need anything, you come to me. I'm not available, there's other people here." You nod and he walks out, busy with some other public stunt or crime.  
  
*10:30 PM*  
  
You collapse on your bed. You just had dinner, as you spent the few hours before dinner wandering around town aimlessly, and went shopping for new clothes. You now have pajamas, a sweater, two shirt, and a pair of jeans. You change into your pajamas - long sleeved, blue with deer and forest patterns, fleece - and lay down. You think about the days events and smile softly, closing your eyes. Anxiety quickly begins to flow through you. A sharp voice explains that he will reject you, see your scars, dislike you. You shake your head and sigh. No, no, no. It's okay. You're fine. He likes you. You do too. You sit up, check the clock. Twelve o'three. So late. You slide out of bed and pad around the house, looking for Jerome's room. You call his name softly, and no one answers. You check in one room to find an empty room, full of nothing but boxes and a window. You shut the door and keep looking. Finally, after opening maybe every door in the house, you find a somewhat messy room. It has some of the things you recognize. The police uniform from the G.C.P.D. shooting hangs in another door, probably a closet. You look around for Jerome. He's not in his bed. "Jerome?" You whisper, your voice shaking. Someone suddenly grabs you from behind. "Hey, birdy. You're up late." He says, his voice rough. You jump and look back at him. "Couldn't sleep. Not feeling good." He nodded and led you to his bed. You blushed, and he sat on his bed and leaned against the pillows. "Don't worry, we're not gonna do anything. Get over here.' He said with a soft grin, his arms outspread. You curled up next to him and he wrapped his arms around you. "Not feeling good? I got advil. And other stuff." He said, frowning. You shake your head. "No, I'm not sick. I can't think about anything but, you know." His mood was already different. He was being kind and gentle, but it went downhill. He ran a hand through his hair and grunted, his eyes dark. "(Y/N), don't worry." He said, looking around the room. You shivered. You knee coming to him was a bad idea. He grabbed onto your arm softly, and pulled down your sleeve a little, revealing a few scars. "Next person who causes something like this is going to regret it." He mumbles, and you nod, the time catching up with you. You yawn softly and cover your mouth. He drops your arm and sits up. "You're getting tired, aren't you?" He asks, smiling devilishly again. You nod. "I'll show you to your room, then." He says, and he begins to stand up. "No!" You say. "No, I want to sleep here tonight." You say softly, and he smirks. "Alrighty, lady bird, that's fine." You slip under the covers and he comes over, laying next to you and playing with your hair. He flicks off the light and the world goes black, and before you know it, you've passed out.


	2. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yuck bad fanfic

You woke up drowisly the next morning. The sun shone through large windows on the walls, onto your face. You shut your eyes and sigh softly, not ready to wake up. You lay for a couple minutes quietly, and open one eye to see that it's a couple minutes after ten. You groan and sit up, rubbing your eyes groggily. Looking around the room, you remember the night before, and sigh. Jerome wasn't in the room, which made no sense because he stayed up as late as you did and this is his room. You slide out of bed and walk into the hall, looking around. You supposed you were on the East wing of the house, which wasn't where you slept. Your room was on the West wing if you remembered right. You walked down the hall and reached the main room. The buff guy from the day before was standing there, hands behind his back. You smiled at him.  
"Hello, miss." He nodded at you.  
You waved in response. "Hi there. What's your name?" You asked.  
"Aaron. Helzinger." He said in a gruff voice.  
You nodded. "Okay, well, nice to meet you." You said, and you headed to the West wing to find your room. You found it eventually, and walked in. You grabbed a shirt and pants from your clothing haul from yesterday and slipped them on. You had your own bathroom - fancy! - and found a brush in a drawer of the large vanity. You quickly brushed your hair and walked out of the bathroom, and decided to leave the house for a bit. Grabbing your sweater, you walked out of the large house, taking what was left of the money in your pockets with you. You headed down the driveway and noticed the Humvee was gone. You frowned. He was causing trouble again, for sure. You walked down the sidewalk and started downtown. As you came closer, you heard loud rumbling and screaming. Jerome was definitely there. You wanted to turn around, but instead you kept going. The screams grew louder and people pushed past you. One man, one with a bushy bread, screamed at you.  
"What are you doing, you idiot? He's a killer! Turn away! Turn away!" His voice faded as he ran away from you, and you stood still. He was right, in more ways than one. But you kept going forwards, slipping among the numerous people running. You spotted the Humvee, and finally noticed that the rumbling had stopped. Police men in heavy armor surrounded the armored car. Jerome was nowhere to be seen. You look around curiously, and jump back when a crackling noise bursts from the Humvee.   
"Hello, hello, my good friends!" His voice echoes from the Humvee, and you spot speakers on the top of the car.   
"My name is Jerome Valeski. Do you want to hear a joke?" He calls out, the voice slightly distorted. "What happens when you cross C4 with a Humvee?" He asks, cackling. The police men stepped away from the car, and you did the same. You started running and the police men and women started running from the car.   
"This!" He exclaimed, and a loud explosion was heard along with screaming. You covered your ears and continued running, stumbling as your ears rang loudly, stinging your brain and throwing you off track as you ran. You looked around as ash and pieces of rock fell around you, stinging your neck and backside as you continued. You clenched your teeth together as your head throbbed, pain searing from ear to ear. You keeled over from the pain and whimpered, breathing heavily and kneeling on the sidewalk. You cover your ears and press your palms against them. Wondering if this is the end, you close your eyes and lean over, your head in your lap and sit there until the ringing stops. You're covered in soot, and when you look back, bodies litter the area around the Humvee. You were lucky to survive. Too lucky. You sit up, a bit wobbly as your legs are asleep and your head is aching. You lean against a lamppost, and catch your breath. You turn back and begin walking to the mansion Jerome lived in. Boy, would he feel bad when he saw you stumbling about, pale and covered in dirt and burn marks. Maybe he would finally realize what he's doing to people. You slowly approached the house, arriving after a little more than a half hour. You knocked on the door, feeling a bit better but also furious. Bulky guy, or Aaron, opened the door.  
"Hey, lady. Jerome was wondering where ya were." He invited you in and seemed not to notice your current miserable state. You stormed to his room, and open the door angrily.   
"Jerome!" You growled, and he turned around on the stool he was sitting on with a grin on his face. It faltered slightly.  
"Hey, did the lady bird get cooked?" He chuckled. You stomped over to him and he stood. "What happened?" He asked, examining you.  
"Your stupid bomb? The one that killed a ton of police?" You reply, fuming.   
He nodded. "Yes, I do remember that. You were there?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and keeping the grin plastered in his face. You wanted to kick him. Just last night, he cared, didn't he? You clenched your fists with anger.  
"When will you realize what you do is wrong? You hurt me! You hurt them! Killed your parents..." You say, trailing off. He keeps smiling. "You're bad!" You yell, shaking slightly.  
He tilts his head to the side and grins, looking at you with darkened eyes.   
"I know I am, doll." He laughs, his voice strained and soft.   
You turn around and storm out of his room before heading back to yours. He was being so weird and mean and cruel. You could have died and he didn't seem to care. You went into your room, locked the door, and took a shower, wiping dirt off of you and using some soap you found in the shower. Quickly drying off and changing, you lay in bed. He's crazy, but you have nowhere to go. You could find a friend, sure, but your parents would find you eventually. You're just so stupid and ignorant sometimes. You got yourself in a situation you can't escape, and you were in love for a day with a psycho. You check the clock, and it's much later than you though. Fourth twenty-four, the clock reads, and you chuckle. Thoughts torment your mind for hours before you drift off, skipping lunch and dinner, and sleep restlessly.  
You wake up hours later, and look at the digital clock with blurry eyes. Five fifty-three in the morning. You groan and haul yourself out of bed, walking out of your room and into the kitchen. You grab a box of Oreos and eat a couple, taking them with you as you wander aimlessly throughout the house. You stumble upon the West wing and sigh. You tap on Jerome's door and he doesn't answer. You decide he's asleep or out killing people, and walk away, still eating the cookies. You look around the house and find a set of stairs leading to the upstairs area. You put down the box of chocolate and cream cookies and head up the large, swirling staircase. You finally reach the top and flick a switch, illuminating the room. Dead potted plants decorate the corners of the room and dark benches sit near large rectangular windows. A long, wide table spreads across the floor and everything is covered in dust. You shudder, looking about at the dead plants and spiderwebs covering every surface. You flick off the light and head back downstairs, frowning and picking up your Oreo box as you see Jerome walk out of his room. He sees you and walks over, grinning.   
"Went upstairs? Nothing there, really." He noticed the cookies and chuckled. His hair was messy, and you glared at him.  
"Jerome, I could have died yesterday. I have burns all over me, and I thought my eardrums would burst." You say through gritted teeth. He nods.   
"Yes, well at least you didn't wind up like those officers, huh?" He laughed loudly, and it sounded like he was wheezing. You sighed.   
"Fair enough." You knew he was right. You were lucky but ungrateful. You balanced on your heels, and nodded. "So, who are you killing today?" You asked dryly, and he smiled.  
"No one, doll. Today, I'm recruiting people. Aaron!" He turned and bellowed, his classic grin now on his face as he waited for his friend. Aaron appeared from the East wing.   
"To Arkham we go." He said, greeting Aaron and turning back to you. "Lady, you should come with us, eh? See what the life is like?" He asks you and you chew on the inside of your cheek.  
"Okay." You say, nodding. He grins and retreats to his room, undoubtedly getting guns and other things like that. Aaron looked down at you.  
"Guns are in your closet. Choose carefully." He smiles and walks away, and you nod, going into your room to change. You find your nicer shirt and put it on, grabbing a small pocketknife from the closet. You promise yourself not to use it. You walk out and Jerome is in a dark magenta suit, his hair slicked back and a gun in his pocket. You look back at Aaron. He hasn't moved. Jerome pulls out his gun and spins it around in his hand, grabbing it and pointing it at the ceiling.   
"Let's go!" He grinned, practically skipping outside.  
Aaron ushered you to the door and closed the door once the three of you were outside. You looked in the driveway and noticed that there was a new Humvee. Great, you thought to yourself. Just great. You sighed and noticed that Jerome was already inside, sitting in the backseat. Aaron hopped in front and shut the door, and you slid into the backseat as well. Aaron pulled out of the driveway with a loud rumble and we were heading towards Arkham Asylum. Jerome was grinning, and he didn't have a seatbelt on. You clicked yours on and watched as the asylum came into sight. Aaron grinned and chuckled, his voice low.  
"We're here!" He exclaimed with the excitement of a four year old. Jerome smirked and jumped out of the car. You followed and slammed the door shut behind you, surprised at the vehicle's height from the ground. You walked up to the front of the car and saw Aaron, who was choking a guard. You turned around and walked away, not wanting to see or hear that. You looked for Jerome and found him on the other side of the car. You smiled at him.  
"Where to? What do I do?" You ask, and he laughs.   
"Aaron is taking out the guards. Soon, we'll go in and release whoever we deem fit." He smiled wide and you nodded. Aaron came around, dragging the guard's body behind him. Jerome smiled.  
"Thanks, pal. Let's go." He walked towards the gate and Aaron smiled, as the gate was already opened.  
"Made him open it before I killed him." He grunted, and you shuddered. Jerome skipped into the asylum and you followed, Aaron trailing behind you. Jerome pulled his gun again and pointed it at one of the guards.  
"You!" He said loudly. "We need access to the prisoners." He said, grinning evilly. The guard nodded, and you could already see beads of sweat covering her face. She typed in a PIN code in a panel on a door, and Jerome kicked open the door before he shot her in the stomach. You looked away and followed Aaron and Jerome, leaving the lady groaning behind you. You look around, and men and women alike laugh, scream, and mumble around you. Clipboards are placed next their cells that describe them, name, age, date of birth, and mental issue along with a short description. You looked at the floor, which was dirty and cracked. Jerome stopped, and Aaron did too, and you bumped into him. You stepped back and apologized, but the big man didn't seem to notice. Jerome laughed softly, and you looked past Aaron to see that Jerome had found a large room that looked like the mess hall. Men and women, mostly men, were sitting around at tables. Jerome opened the door and walked in, and the room went silent. He hopped up onto a table and stood up with a grin.  
"Hello, hello!" He said in a booming voice, and the prisoners were obviously excited. They quieted down with a glare from Jerome. You watched and your heart beat fast. Jerome cleared his throat.  
"Today, I realized I needed some new friends. Additions to the Maniax." He said, and the prisoners began banging on the tables with their fists. You closed your eyes. The screaming behind you and clamoring in front of you was too much. You heard Jerome speaking again.  
"Hmm, hmm, hmm, you and you and... You!" You opened your eyes and saw him pick a couple people. They stand up, cheering, as others boo and protest. Jerome frowns.  
"Sorry, pals. Only so many you can take, eh?" He escorts them out and shuts the door behind him, and you get a closer look at his new friends. Two guys, one in his forties and the other in his twenties, and a girl. She looks around your age, a little older, maybe. She has a pixie cut and two scars spread across her cheeks. The older man laughs and Aaron, Jerome, and the new people pass by you. You look around and then follow them carefully. After arriving at the Humvee, Jerome climbs on top of the Humvee, sitting in a seat positioned behind a machine gun. You sigh and climb into the car, taking shotgun as you don't want to sit with a bunch of crazy people. Aaron starts the car and you laughter and chatting behind you. You looked out the window as you drive back to the mansion. Gotham was practically in ruins, with a curfew set for eight o'clock and people choosing never to leave their homes. The economy was in ruins, and Mayor James had never been found. Probably dead by now. You heard laughter from above, and gunshots as well. Shells clattered onto the roof and fell off, you saw them as they dropped down. The gunshots ended after a couple minutes, and Aaron pulled into the driveway. You opened the door before he turned off the car, and jumped out, shutting the door behind you. Jerome slid down from the top, landing on the hood of the car with a whoop of laughter. You rolled your eyes. Him and laughter. It was a weird obsession. Old guy, young guy, and scar girl hopped out of the car. You walked away from them and into the house, jogging to your room and closing the door. You did not want to hang out with those people. They were terrifying. You sat on the bench in the corner of your room and thought about the two guards. You could have helped them. The lady was dead, and she had a family, probably a boyfriend. She looked young, in her mid twenties. The other guy, he had a family, no doubt about it. A wife, kids, a house. He showed up to his job. They were brave people. You let them die. You tapped your feet,and heard a knock on your door. You stood up.   
"Come in." You said, and the short haired girl walked in. You swallowed nervously, and she smirked.  
"Yo, thanks for helping us out of that hell." She said, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorframe. "But you don't fucking belong here. Never been on TV. Your eyes are sane. You're plain, boring, vanilla. Bland." She sneers, and you nod slowly.  
"Your point?" You say, already disliking her.  
"Get out of here. You aren't like us." She growls, and she slams the door on her way out. You shudder. What was her problem? It wasn't her fault you had been taken here against your will. Aaron opened the door and you looked up.   
"Teatime." He said, and you frowned. It was lunchtime, but you walked out and he followed you. He led you to a separate room, where Jerome and the others sat at a table. Scones and tea were on the table, small white plates at each place. You sat as far away from the other girl as possible. You sat next to the older guy and the younger guy, Jerome sitting across from you with Aaron and the girl at his side. She smirked at you and you glared at her. No one seemed to notice and Jerome smiled, slamming his fist on the table.  
"So, everyone, say your name and what you did to get in, eh? I killed my mom, and my dad once I got out. You all know the rest." He chuckled, and pointed to the girl next to him. She smiled.  
"My name is Alejandra, and I was a hit woman. Bipolar." You guessed she was Mexican, from the name and slight accent. The older guy, next to you, nodded.  
"Not bad, kid. I'm Cole. Arsonist. Burned a dozen houses down, killed two dozen people." He said, and you flinch, remembering a case like that on television.   
"I'm (Y/N)..." You say shakily. Jerome has a wicked smile on his face.   
"I haven't ever hurt anyone or broken a law." You say, feeling very out of place. The young guy, Cole and Alejandra look at you with confusion, and Aaron does too.   
"Why you here, then?" Cole asks, and you look around the room.  
"Long story." You gesture to the younger guy and he nods.   
"My name is Xavier, and I..." He smiled. "Was involved in some human trafficking biz. Sold some girls to some guys. Killed the ones who couldn't make a deal." He looked around. "Still working on my rep." He said in a funny voice, and you felt uncomfortable right away. Aaron was excited, you could tell from the look on his face.  
"My turn?" He asked happily, and Jerome nodded.  
"I killed my family! No weapons needed." He said with a grin. You looked down at your scone and tea. You weren't too hungry anymore. Jerome clapped. "Wonderful, wonderful, my friends! Treat yourself!" He said, and everyone ate except for you. Alejandra exchanged looks with you and her food, and you leaned back in your seat uncomfortably, looking up at the ceiling. After about ten minutes, everyone was full and happy, and Alejandra had something to say.  
"So, Jerome, why's she here?" She nodded towards you, and your mouth went dry. You felt your cheeks redden a little and Jerome shrugged.  
"Well, she seemed like a good addition to the team." He said, raising his eyebrows as he looked around. Alejandra shook her head.   
"No, no, amigo. She's innocent. Can't do nothing." She glares at you.  
"Why does it matter so much to you, amiga?" You shoot back menacingly. Jerome grins and laughs. You stand up and push in your chair, walking out of the room and heading to the foyer. You weren't sure if what you said was the best choice of words, but the amusement on her face showed she wasn't too upset about you. You heard them continue talking and looked around the room for something to do. Xavier walked out, and you looked up. He was taller than you, and he smiled.  
"Nice job, kid. Very dramatic, quite the exit." He said, and you scoffed. He shrugged.  
"Do you need something?" You asked, and he shook his head.   
"Nah. Just telling you my opinion. I like you. You've got spirit." He walked back into the room with the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yuck yuck yuck


	3. New Age

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for the hits ^^

Over the next few days, you felt like Jerome was avoiding you, but maybe you were avoiding him. He was busy with the new team, and whenever you saw Alejandra, she just smirked or glared or laughed. She pissed you off. The younger guy, Xavier, seemed to have an eye on you. Cole kept to himself. Aaron was nice, and he had the brain of a kid, so it was nice to talk with him, even if he was a man of few words. You had more clothes now, as you had shopping a few times, and you spent most of your time in your room. It was quite boring.

  


On a Wednesday, Jerome announced that he and his team had the day off. You didn't really care, even though you were worried Alejandra might bother you. So, to avoid getting trapped in your room witb her, you walked into the foyer. Cole and Jerome were talking, and you sat down on the large couch with Cole, keeping your distance. Jerome's eyes darted towards you and then back to Cole, and you sighed softly. They were talking about Jim Gordon and plans for the city or whatever, and it bored you but you stayed put. Jerome looked over at you after Cole announced he had to go, because he had personal business to attend to, apparently. He tilted his head to the side.  
"Birdy, where have you been, eh?" He asked, and you shrugged.  
"Around. Well, in my room, mostly." You replied, and he frowned.  
"Boring. You should come out with us more! Wasn't Arkham fun?" He asked, and that devilish grin spread across his face. You shook your head.  
"No. Definitely not. That Alejandra girl has beef with me." You reply, leaning back on the couch.  
"Yeah? Why?" He asks. You shrug, but you think you know why.  
"I think she thinks I don't belong here, and she might be right." You say, bouncing your leg up and down.  
"Ah?" He says, and you nod. You sit in silence for a moment or two, and finally sigh and stand up. You sit back down, because you've spent enough time in your room, after all. You stare at him and he stares back, still smiling, and when you finally look away, he begins to speak.  
"So, birdy, what have you been doing while we're out?" He asked, and you shrugged.  
"I slept. And ate. And I slept some more." He nodded.  
"Nothing bad, I hope? I mean, you said you had never hurt anyone, but that's a lie, lady. You count as a person." He said, and you shrugged.  
"Not their business." You replied with a yawn. "What have you been up to?"   
"Killing people, you know, introducing the new team to Gotham." He laughs softly and you nod.   
"Hey, Jerome, you shouldn't kill people so much." You say. "You're-"  
He glares at you and gives a small growl. "Don't you dare say it." He says in a rough voice, and your words catch in your throat. "Okay." You say hoarsely. You were going to say crazy. He smiles at you, his attitude completely changed. "So! Do you wanna do something, birdy?" He asks, and you shrug.  
"Depends." You look around and your eye catches movement in the doorway. You look over and notice Alejandra. She smirks and puts a finger to her lips, darting into the West wing without a sound. Your mouth goes dry and you begin breathing quickly. What did she hear? Who would she tell? You began panicking, but Jerome snapped you back into reality.  
"Doll! What's got your attention, eh?" He asks, and you shake your head.  
"I'll talk later." You manage to say as you run into the West wing, looking through rooms for Alejandra. You slow as you hear talking in one room.  
"She's a self-harmer, Cole." You hear, and your heart beats quickly.  
"No shit." He growls, and Alejandra laughs.  
"Right? So expected from a girl like her." She says.  
"You were right. She don't belong here." He says, and you hear footsteps coming towards you as she explains she has other things to do. You turn around and walk away, darting into a bathroom. She doesn't see you - you don't think she did - and you sit on the mat in the bathroom with a sigh. She would tell everyone, if she hadn't already. You were totally screwed. Cole would probably set you on fire, or worse, Xavier would sell you. Alejandra could probably shoot you. You locked the door and sat back down, worried. What else did she hear? Did she hear his nickname for you? Did she sense the tension, or anything romantic? You leaned against the wall. You heard Jerome, probably curious, asking Aaron if he saw you, down the hall. You flicked off the light and closed your eyes. It would be fine. They wouldn't hurt you, they couldn't. You were like the morals of the team, they just didn't really listen to you. Aaron knocked on the door and tried the handle.  
"Kid, you in there?" He asked, and you sighed quietly. "Door's locked, pal." Aaron said roughly, and you heard more footsteps. "Lady bird! Get out of there." Jerome said, and you flicked on the light before unlocking and opening the door. He smiled. "Hey! There she is." You grunted and pushed past him. He turned around, spinning on his heels, and followed you. "What's going on, eh?" He asked, and you stopped.   
"Alejandra heard. She heard everything. And she told Cole, she's probably telling Xavier right now and will tell Aaron later." You say softly, and you turn around.  
"Really?" He says, smiling and crossing his arms. "She sounds jealous." He said, and you laughed. He winked.  
"Knew I'd get a giggle out of you sometime." You glared at him.  
"Sarcasm." You explained. He nodded.  
"I can talk to her." He said, and you shook your head.  
"No. It's fine." You say, and he twirls around.  
"Whoo! Easily solved, eh?" He says, walking away.   
  
*Later*   
Alejandra burst in, a smile on her face, spreading the scars on her cheeks into distorted lines. You looked at her, and dread fell over you. "Go away." You said, sliding out of your bed. She smiled.  
"Aww, birdy, gonna hurt yourself if I don't?" She mimicked, pretending to pout. You felt your face heat up.   
"No! Get away from me!" You said through gritted teeth, and she shook her head.  
"Look, girl, you need to get a life. Do something worth your while. Don't lay around and complain." She says, hands on her hips. You glared at her.  
"I don't want your opinion. And I didn't ask for one, either." You say, cooling down a bit.  
"Yeah, whatever." She rolls her eyes and you see Xavier behind her. He grabs her firmly by the shoulders and you see her jump.  
"Hey, Andra, why don't leave her alone?" He says in a deep voice, and she swats his hands off of her.  
"Okay, okay, I was just trying to see if she would do something really bad." She said, her accent causing her to roll her R's. You scratched your head, embarrassed. She walked away, leaving Xavier in your doorway. You look at him, and he looks at you.  
"Did she tell you?" You ask him quietly, and he nods. You look at the ground. You look back up after a moment, and he's gone. You sigh and close the door, walking back to your bed and laying down. You fall asleep quickly, and strange dreams cause you to toss and turn. You wake up after what feels like forever, and when you turn over to check the time, Jerome is sitting right next to your bed, his face all up in yours. You jump back and close your eyes.  
"You scared me." You breathe, and he just grins. "What were you doing?" You ask.  
"Watching you sleep." He says, like that's normal. You nod slowly.  
"Oh." You frown and check the time. You were asleep for maybe an hour, give or take.  
"You keep moving around and talking." He explained, propping his head up with his hands. You lay back in bed.  
"Yeah, bad dreams." You muttered, and he stood up, clapping.  
"I have an idea!" He said, jumping up and down. You really, honest to God, did not want to know. He told you anyways. "Let's go into town and see who notices." He says, and you shake your head.  
"Not interested." His face falls.  
"Aww, come on. It'll be fun! Definitely some sort of news story." He retorts.  
"Isn't your version of fun killing people?" You ask, smiling grimly.  
"No one gets killed this time." He says, grinning. You sit up and point to the door.  
"Okay, let me change into something nicer." You say, and winks at you, humming and closing the door behind him as he leaves. You change into your nicer clothes, the ones you wore to Arkham Asylum, and brush your hair quickly. You grab your sweater and pull it on, walking outside and into the foyer. Jerome is waiting, a dress shirt and pants on. His usual expression is gone, replaced with a normal, almost friendly one. He looks like a different person. You smile at him and he smiles back.  
"My dear lady, let us visit the humble downtown area of a city called Gotham." He says, mocking a British accent. He offers you his hand and remember the first time you met. How many people's blood had covered those hands? You took his hand, and scared yourself. He took you outside and into a normal car, not the Humvee. You sat in the passenger and he started the car, pulling out of the driveway and heading downtown.  
"So, we'll walk around the streets, and see who notices. You in? He grins, and you nod.  
"Okay." You reply, and after a moment he parallel parks, and you leave the car. He does too, and he walks over to the parking meter, shoving some money into the slot. You watch and he offers you his arm. You link arms, and walk down the street. People walk by, and the first few don't notice anything out of the ordinary. But then, someone across the street screams. You look over, and an older woman is pointing straight at you, or rather, Jerome. She runs down the street, and you continue walking. More people notice, and soon enough, pictures are being taken and a news van pulls up. Jerome grins, showing off his usual expression. Evil and charming at the same time. You keep your head down as a news crew spills out of the van. Gotham Gazette. They start filming the two of you, and Jerome spins around. You do the same.   
"Hello, Gotham! I didn't realize it was such a terrible thing to take a walk with this woman." He says, clearly trying to be normal so he could confuse people. You were feeling uncomfortable. Pictures had been taken of you with a crazy person. Your family would see it. Reports were probably being written at the moment. He turns back, heading towards the car and glaring at people around him. You kept a straight face. He let go of you and opened the door, sliding into the car. You did the same. He smiled as he started the car. "That went well, did it not?" He said, and you shrugged.  
"I can usually take a walk without that happening, so I don't know." You reply.  
He laughs and speeds down the street, ignoring the traffic lights. You arrive quickly, because he was speeding, and get out of the car. He locks the car and you walk into the house. Alejandra is waiting when you get back, sitting on the couch.  
"What are you two up to?" She asks, and you shrug. Jerome winks.  
"Making headlines." You glare at her, and she doesn't notice. Jerome heads towards his room and you follow him in, sitting down on a chair in his room. He lays on his bed and laughs. "You did good, dollface!" He says, looking over at you. You nod. He kicks off his shoes, adding to the mess of his room. You look around and yawn. He mimicks you, and you look back at him. He looks at you.  
"What?" You ask, irritated.  
"What?" He says in the same tone. You pick up an empty plastic water bottle and throw it at him. He lets it hit his face, and you frown. He smiles. You wonder about how he's so different at times. He didn't care when you got hurt from the bomb, but he cared the day before, and he was being nice today. You're deep in though when Cole walks in. He spots you and chuckles deeply.  
"Hey, Jerome, I hear your girlfriend has some issues." He says, and you blush.  
"I'm not his-" You're cut off by Jerome.  
"Cole, is that your business?" Jerome asks, and you can practically see the mischief in his face.  
"No." Jerome says before Cole responds, and he snaps his fingers. "Out." Cole shrugs and walks away. Jerome looks back at you.  
"Sorry, lady." He says, and he crosses his legs, and leans his head on his hands. His arms are propped up on his knees. You nod.  
"It's fine." He stares at you and you fidget uncomfortably. He giggles. You want to throw something at the idiot again. "Jerome, you didn't really care when I got hurt. I stumbled home." You say, and he furrows his brow.  
"Ooh, right. The bomb." He shakes his finger. "Sorry 'bout that. I always feel positively evil after a heist." He laughs loudly, and throws his head back. You nod. Most of the burns were healed. Thankfully. He looked back at you, and you blinked.   
"I think I ought to go." He frowned.   
"No, pretty bird, let's talk." You rub your eyes and lean back in the chair.  
"Fine." You respond.   
"So, (Y/N), why are you even still here?" He asked, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "I'm baaad news." He said, and you knew he meant it. He wasn't wrong, either.  
"I don't know. I can't live with my parents, and you aren't that bad." You respond, blushing slightly. He smiles, and places his arms on the bed before pulling his legs up and under himself, so he was kneeling on the bed.  
"Don't get me wrong, dolly, its absolutely lovely having you here." He says, pronouncing lovely with some strange accent. "But you really shouldn't be here. I have money, you can move or get your own place." He says, smiling. You shake your head.  
"No. I want to stay here." You say, and curse yourself under your breath. Idiot, you weren't supposed to say that. He giggled.  
"Oh, you dumb, pretty girl." He says, and you blush slightly. Xavier appears at the doorway with his teeth gritted.  
"Ugh, you two loonies may as well kiss already. Once you're done flirting, news has got you two on the spotlight." He says, and he turns around, walking away. You blusha DNS Rand up, following him and looking back to see Jerome following you. You heard talking and in the foyer the whole team was watching the large TV. On it, a picture of you and Jerome was in the background, with a news lady explaining everything.  
"Today, at around four o'clock PM, a teenager was spotted with the infamous Jerome Valeska. Her name and identity have not been revealed to the public for safety reasons, but if you have information, please call." A number and a zoomed in, high-quality photo of your face appear on the screen. You face goes white, and you turn around, bumping into Jerome. You grab him by the arm and drag him back to his room. He looks confused, for once.  
"I'm on TV, Jerome!" You hiss, and he smiles.  
"Yaay!" He says, and you look up at him angrily.  
"That is not good! Not good!" You say, and he frowns.  
"Its gonna be fine, they'll forget about you anyways." He says, shrugging. You clench you fists and groan. He knew you would be on television, and he let it happen. You pound your fists against his chest and he grabs your wrists, stopping you.   
"My family will probably show up soon!" You say, breathing shallowly as your heart starts beating fast.   
"Okay, first of all, don't hit me." He says, still gripping your wrists. "Secondly, no, they won't. I won't let them in, if they do end up coming, so you're safe." He said. He was being normal, for once. You calmed down, and nodded. He let go of you and your arms fell against your sides. He nodded and you sighed.  
"I'm sorry." You mumbled, and he shrugged.  
"I know. It's okay." He said, and you jumped when he put his arms around you. You buried your head in his shoulder and he rubbed his hand up and down your back. You put your arms around him and hugged him tightly. You sighed and he chuckled.   
"That tickled." He said softly, and you wanted to throw something at him again. He let go of you and you smiled softly, doing the same. Just for the sake of ruining everything, the doorbell rang and you looked at Jerome with alarm. He raised an eyebrow and put a finger over his lips, looking out the door. He walked out, and you stayed in his room. You heard the door open, and you heard a familiar sound. You mother yelling. You chewed on your fingernails and listened as Jerome explained that you weren't here, and he had no idea who this '(Y/N)' was, and how if she was here anyhow she would be dead, and dead bodies started to smell pretty fast. You heard more screaming from your dad, and your mother joined in, and then the door slammed shut with one last 'We'll get a warrant!' escaping your dad's lips. Jerome walked back in and smiled.  
"There we go. That should have scared them off." He said, and you sighed, closing your eyes and pinching the bridge of your nose. You heard Jerome move around and the bed creak, so you opened your eyes. He was laying in bed, staring at the ceiling. He was back to his weird self.   
"Birdy, they will not hurt you. No one will." He growls, and you stand there, nodding.  
"I know. I trust you." You respond. He sits up with a grin, and he jumps out of bed, walking out the door and leaving you in the room. You glare at the door, and then at the things laying around his room, and then walk out. Jerome was nowhere in sight, so you looked for Aarons room. You found it and knocked. He grunted so you walked in.  
"Hey, Aaron. Any idea why Jerome wandered off?" You ask. He shakes his head. He's reading a book, a children's book, about a pig, so you nod and leave him alone. You walk back into your room and blink when you see Alejandra. She's sitting on your bed, and you walk over to her.  
"Get." You shove her off of your bed and push her towards the door. "Out." She laughs loudly.  
"Come on, sweetie, I saw everything!" She says, and you step away from her.  
"Parents. You and Jerome doing whatever." She says, snorting. You shrug, and then frown.  
"Wait, you were watching us?" You asked and she laughed.  
"Girl, I have been watching you for a while. Look, you probably shouldn't care so much about him." She says, crossing her arms. You frowned.  
"Who said I did? And if so, why not?" You ask, and she raised an eyebrow.  
"Kid, he's probably had a million girls before you. You're just gonna end up like his mom, a dead whore." You bite down on your bottom lip and she smiles.   
"It's true. Hell, he's probably gonna be the one to kill you." She smirked and spinned around, walking out. You walked over to your bed and lay down, curling up under your covers and closing your eyes after checking the clock. It was later than seven, and these days you went to bed around six, so you fell asleep quickly.   
But these days, you also woke up early, but today it was extra early. At around two am, you woke up and rubbed your eyes, checking the clock. Two thirty-seven. You sit up and slide out of bed, going into the bathroom and cupping water into your hands from the sink, and drinking it. You flip the faucet off, and flick off the bathroom light. You walk back out and sigh. You wanted to be with Jerome, and you were ashamed. So, you walked out of your room, and into the West wing. You walked into his room and felt pathetic. You needed a psychopath just for comfort. Great. You walked up to his bed, and he was sleeping. His hair wasn't slicked back as usual, a couple strands fell over his forehead and his lowly-set eyebrows were furrowed. You'd always assumed he had smooth skin, without freckles or anything, but that was ridiculous because as you looked at him, you noticed small freckles decorating his face. You smiled and shook him awake. He blinked awake and looked a tad surprised, but quickly resumed his normal expression.  
"Oh, hello, (Y/N)." He said, yawning. His voice was crackled and dry. You smiled at him.  
"Hey. Can't sleep." You whispered, and he scooched over with a small grin.   
"C'mon." You smiled and crawled into bed with him. He wrapped an arm around you and you pressed up against him. You could swear, you could hear his heart beating, but that was ridiculous.  
"Bad dreams, doll?" He asked, and his voice was right in your ear. You shuddered and shook your head.  
"What was it?" He asked, and you began wondering why you ever disliked this man.  
"I woke up. Can't sleep." You whisper in response, and he nods.  
"Everything okay?" He whispers into your hair, and he runs his finger through your (H/L), (H/C) hair. You nod and remember the Alejandra situation.  
"Well, Alejandra said something, and it wasn't very kind." He snorted.  
"Tell me something I don't know." You smiled.  
"What you don't know is that she said I would end up like your mom; a dead whore. And that you would probably be the one to kill me." He grumbled and shook his head.  
"No, no. Wrong. You're not like her. And I'm not going to hurt you." He said, obviously upset. He held you tight and you closed your eyes. "Forget her, okay?" He growled, and you opened your eyes to look at him. He looked concerned, and angry, so you brushed his hair back. "It's okay. Calm down." You mumble, and he looked at you, his eyes dark. You heard him mumble something and you breathed deeply. "Where did you go? Earlier today?" You asked, and he shrugged.  
"I went, and I gave someone what they deserved." He said. You didn't want to go into details, so you lay there with him, and the crazy man wasn't being so crazy, and maybe he was okay after all.  
  
The next morning, you woke next to Jerome. He was still holding you, and you were surprised he wasn't already gone because he always seemed to be when you woke up. You didn't bother checking the time, because you liked waking up next him, and you didn't want to wake him or ruin the movement while moving. So you lay in his arms for twenty or so minutes, and then he woke up. You smiled at him and he smiled back, and then he had to get up. So you lay in his bed and he got up, and he grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom. You sat up and rubbed your eyes. Eight forty-two. Later than you expected. You smiled, and left his room. Cole saw you and raised an eyebrow with amusement.  
"Hey, kiddo, that's not your room, is it?" He asked. He was standing a bit further down the hall. You shook your head and he chuckled softly.  
"Didn't think so. He treat you well?" He asked, and you nodded, embarrassed. You shuffles to you room, and changed from your clothes, which you needed to stop sleeping in, into some other jeans and a T-shirt with a jacket. You walked out and looked for Cole again. You found him in the same spot and walked up to him.  
"What's your plan for today?" You asked him, and he shrugged.  
"We're having a fancy breakfast. Then we're going out to Gotham Uni." He said. You frowned.  
"Okay, uh, see you at breakfast, then." You weren't too happy about their plans, but you had a feeling you couldn't stop them. Jerome and Xavier were at the table, and you sat next to Jerome, smiling at the two of them before settling down.  
"Sleep well?" You asked Xavier, and he nodded.  
"You?" He asked out of politeness, and you nodded.  
"Definitely." Jerome chuckled, interrupting you. You shot a look at him and smiled. He smirked and raised an eyebrow at Alejandra, who brought in a plate of doughnuts. She put them down and sat on the other side of Jerome. She shot a glance at you, and you looked away. Jerome noticed this, and looked over at Alejandra. He smiled at her sweetly.  
"Andra, dearest." He said in a sweet, sugary tone. She smirked, probably thinking I was about to get told or something.  
"Stop messing with her." He growled, and he stood when Aaron and Cole arrived. He stood on his chair, dumb, and spread his arms wide. "Welcome! Welcome!" He exclaimed, and he sat back down. Cole rolled his eyes.  
"J, that act is getting old." He grunted. "Today we're heading to the Uni, people. Gonna-" Jerome cut him off, venom in his voice.  
"Cole. Who's the boss here?" He said, glaring at the old man. He shut his mouth, and Jerome smiled again.   
"Eat, everyone!" He ordered, and you snatched a donut. You tore off bits of it and ate them one by one, quickly finishing it and smiling, feeling happy and full. Everyone was done before you, and you felt somewhat embarrassed, but Jerome quickly took the spotlight.  
"So! Today we go to the Uni. We're doing something new. Today, we-" Alejandra cleared her throat.  
"Shouldn't the little girl leave? These are our plans, and she should be with her mommy and daddy anyhow." She said, looking over at you with a smirk as she leaned in her chair. You mumbled to yourself.   
"Shut up, Alejandra." Xavier said, shooting daggers from his eyes at her. Jerome looked at you, and you smiled.   
"I suppose I'll go then. Sorry for intruding on your plans." You push in your chair and grumble on the way out. How obnoxious does she get? You heard footsteps and Xavier followed you. You turned around. He was a tall guy, standing at maybe 6'4", and he looked down at you.  
"Hey, (Y/N), sorry about that." He said, and you nodded. He looked back at the dining area, and then back to you.  
"Listen, I think you wanna get out of here. And I have a way for you to, you're just gonna have to-" You raise an eyebrow.  
"No. Go back." You say, whirling around and walking away. You stalked into your room and sat on your bed.  
Hours layers, they returned. Some of them, including Jerome, had flecks of blood on their clothing and skin. You probably had nothing but Oreo crumbs all over you to prove you had been involved in anything at all. You waited for Jerome to get dressed and showered, and decide to clean the crumbs off of you, as you had finished off the Oreos and you wanted no proof of that. You cleaned off, and when you walked out, there he was. Bright red hair and a white shirt. Dark pants. You smiled and walked up to him. He giggled.  
"Birdy, birdy, hey, hey." He said.  
"Jerome." You said, yawning. He grinned, dark eyes and shining teeth. Crazy written all over him.  
"Doll, we may need some new recruits." He said, his mouth twitching downwards.  
"What? Why?" You asked. You didn't want to deal with another Alejandra.  
"Well, it seems our friends Alejandra and Xavier didn't quite make it. We made sure the police didn't, either, so they were avenged." You nodded slowly, and for some inexplicable reason, you felt relieved.


	4. Back to Arkham

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HOLY FRICK FRACK
> 
> MY BABY STORY GREW UP FAST
> 
> I'm getting hits and kudos every day now. Thank you all so much!

The next day, Jerome shook you awake. You jumped up and he hushed you with a smile.  
"Jerome?! What's going on?" You mumbled. He was sitting next to you, leaning over you, and you blushed slightly.  
"Doll, we're going to Arkham." He said softly, and you frowned, remembering the day before.  
"Oh. Oh, okay." You whispered.  
"Get up." You sat up and bumped your head on the headboard. You winced, and Jerome winced as well.  
"You okay, bird?" He asked quietly. You nodded. You were wearing your clothes from the day before, and decided you'd really rather not change into something nicer. Or cleaner. So, you crawled out of your bed and Jerome did the same. You slipped on your shoes and followed into the foyer. It was still dark out. Jerome had his prison clothes on, you realized. A white undershirt with striped pants and a shirt on over it.  
"What's with the clothes?" You whispered as you walked out.  
"I'm turning myself in, doll. You have to get me out." He winked at you. "Along with our new friends, of course." He said, shrugging.  
"What? I'm not getting you out of prison, and not Arkham for sure!" You replied. He shook his head.  
"Ah-ah-ah, doll. Yes, you are." He nodded, and thrust a gun at you before climbing into a car that wasn't the Humvee. You grabbed the Humvee and sighed, sliding into the passenger seat. He started the car. Later, when you arrived, Jerome hopped out the car. The sun was just beginning to rise, and sunlight peeked out from behind shadows, illuminating his face. His hands were in the air. Two guards pulled their guns, and after a bit of talking, he was taken away. He looked back at you and winked. You hopped out if the car, leaving the door open, and rushed after him. The guards types in the code to the door and took him in. You grabbed the door before it shut, holding it open just a little and watching them walk away. After a moment, you saw no one, and you slipped inside. Wandering the halls was scary, as prisoners were yelling at you all over again. Some said obscene things, and others said things you couldn't even begin to comprehend. You kept walking. You looked around for Jerome and saw no one. You looked around a corner, a hall turning off on each side. You looked down the left side, your gun concealed in a baggy area of your sweater, when a guard yelled.  
  
"Hey!" He barked, and you whirled around. He narrowed his eyes, and you ran the other way. You turned a corner and spotted a water fountain. You grabbed your gun and placed it on the fountain, hoping no one saw you as you didn't want to get in any more trouble than you already were if caught. You kept running, and once you heard the footsteps behind you stop, you breathed a sigh of relief. But you weren't so lucky. Two women in dark blue suits were heading towards you. You turned, and the guard from earlier was there as well, wielding your gun. You sighed.  
  
"Young lady! You're definitely getting locked up." The first women shouted.  
"I didn't do anything!" You said angrily. "I don't think that's even legal!" You shot back, glaring at her. The guards closed in, and the two women grabbed down on each of your arms.  
"You were seen with Jerome Valeska a day ago. You were his accomplice." The second woman accused. You shook your head as they escorted you to the main room, where different people were sitting around. You spotted Jerome in a secluded area of the room. You hoped he didn't see you. The two women let go of you, and the male guard watched over you as they disappeared to who knows where. They came back moments later with a prison uniform, and you took it. It was a dress. You snorted. You weren't crazy, didn't kill anyone. Why was this being handed to you? You snatched it and they showed you to a changing room. You groaned and walked in, slipping into the dress and pulling your sweater on over it to hide your arms. You walked out and the ladies shook their heads. The second one laughed.  
"Kid, you gotta take off the sweater." She barked with a chuckle.  
You shook your head, so they peeled it off of you. They whispered to each other, seeing your scars, and then tossed your sweater. You were taken to a room with a couple tables. It had large, circular windows. You looked for Jerome, but he was nowhere to be found. You had a feeling he would be angry with you, as you had screwed up the plan. Badly. You sat at the edge of a table, dragging a chair up to the table and sitting down. You placed your arms in your lap and leaned your head on the table, looking around. People stared back at you, men grinning and women sneering. You swallowed nervously and no one bothered you for the moment. You turned your head away from them and closed your eyes, willing for it all to be a nightmare. You provably weren't getting out of prison, and it would be on your record for sure. Probably no education, a punishment from your parents which was gonna suck, and no job. You were gonna live on the streets, and who knee what would happen to you in an asylum. Jerome shouldn't have dragged you into this. Rather, you shouldn't have gone along with it. The door clanged shut, and you heard loud murmuring around you. You looked over at the door and Jerome was smirking at everyone in the room. They were amused, laughing, yelling at him. He stood on a table. You wanted to crawl under one. He looked over the room. It didn't seem like he noticed you.  
"Hello, Arkham! Glad for the warm welcome." He said with a large grin. He hopped down from the table and immediately began speaking with people, men and the few women in the room flocking around him. You were soon the only person in the room who wasn't in the clump, the Jerome fanclub. You watched them and grumbled quietly. They talked for so long, peppering him with questions and compliments. You watched, your leg twitching, before you stood up. A couple eyes drifted to you, and you kept your head down as you quickly headed towards the door. You tried it but it was locked. You growled under your breath and turned around, freezing when you heard Jerome chuckle.  
"Oh, dolly..." He said, sucking his teeth. "(Y/N), I expected to see you, but not right here, or now, mm?" You chewed on your lip and nodded slowly. All eyes were on you. Jerome pushed out of the crowd and glared at you. You backed away from him, and stumbled into a chair, almost falling over. You picked yourself up and brushed off your dress. Jerome was right in front of you, staring down at you.  
  
"Doll, I thought you would help pull this off. Not get caught." He growled. You nodded.  
"I know, but they saw me, I couldn't..." You looked at your feet.  
"S'okay, birdy." He said, and you sighed.  
"What are we gonna do now?" You asked softly.  
"Aaron will help us, but for now we need to find some new additions." He said in a low voice. You nodded, and he sat down. You sat next to him and a couple people walked up to Jerome. They looked over you and you stared at them.they returned their attention to Jerome. He cleared his throat and they flooded him with questions and more. You watched, somewhat entertained as he answered them, shooing a couple away until two were left. A girl, and a boy. They were both probably seventeen, and the girl was a bit taller than you, had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. A smattering of freckles dusted her cheeks, and she was really pretty. The boy was a little bit shorter than Jerome, with dark hair and tanned skin. He was stern, and the girl was laughing at everything Jerome said. She was practically in his lap. You quivered with jealousy. She continued her flirting, and the boy sat with the three of you, joining in the conversation every so often.  
Soon enough, you heard guards yelling outside. Smashing, grunting, and pleas came from the other side. Finally, Aaron arrived. He forced a guard to unlock the door, then snapped her neck. Jerome walked over to him, leaving the girl and the boy to follow him. You followed behind him, and you were burning with shame. You couldn't pull off a heist. What was your use? You followed them out, and Aaron pulled up their car. You sat in the back, the stern looking boy in passenger. Jerome slipped into the car, and the girl frowned. "Oh, Jerome! There's nowhere for me to sit." He grunted and pointed to the seat between you and him.  
"Sure is, Cassie." Cassie was her name, then. She slid over him and sat down, and Aaron took off before any of you could put on a seatbelt. Cassie looked over at you and smiled sweetly. You scoffed. She frowned. You waited in silence until the car stopped, and you got away from that Cassie girl as quickly as possible. You walked into the house and the others followed. You sat on the floor, and leaned back, your uncomfortable dress spreading out under you. Cassie and the other guy walked in, seeing you and looking away when their eyes swept over your arms. Cassie let out a small smile. They both sat on the couch, and Aaron drifted off to some other room. Jerome sat in a chair and crossed his legs.  
"Introduce yourselves." He said roughly.  
"I'm Cassandra. I decided one day that my brother was always on my nerves and I killed him." She smiled. Why did everyone have to kill their family? The stern guy cleared his throat.  
"Ran a gang. Passed out drugs. And I killed a couple kids who tried ratting me out." He said. Jerome smiled.  
"Perfect. Now, find a room, settle in." They walked off, and you stood up to leave as well.  
"Hey, doll, where do you think you're going?" He asked, smiling with his head tilted to the side.  
"Somewhere else." You said, and he shook his head.  
"No, you're going to explain exactly what went wrong today." He said. You raised an eyebrow and he gestured for you to come over to him. You walked over and stood in front of him.  
"What went wrong was you told me to do something I couldn't do, and didn't give me too much of a choice." You retorted. He raised an eyebrow.  
"I'm not like Aaron, or Cole, or Cassandra. Or the druggie gang guy." You said. "Is this, like, a joke to you? I just got sent to an insane asylum!" You said, and he was still grinning.  
"Sorry, doll. Just be glad I prepared for that to happen." He replied with a smirk. You sighed and walked away, heading into your room. You shuffled through the things in your room, trying to find something write on. Soon enough, you found what looked like a notebook. Flipping through it, pages were ripped out, and nothing was written in it. A pencil was sitting right next to it. They probably belonged to the previous owner of the room, and you decided they were probably dead. That should have bothered you, but living with killers for a week must change you perspective. Or just make you insane as well. You shrugged and began writing, starting from the beginning.  
  
Six months ago, Theo Galavan broke six prisoners out of Arkham Asylum. It seems he killed one of the prisoners, Richard Sionis, before the "Maniax!" began to terrorize the city of Gotham. The first day, they killed 7 men. They started by spray painting letters onto their clothing, and dropping them off of the roof of the Gotham Gazette. Later that day, they threatened to set a bus of cheerleaders on fire, which resulted in the death of one of their members. The next day, there was a shooting at the G.C.P.D., where another member was killed. That night, they held up the Children's Gala. Jerome Valeska pretended to be a magician, and when Theo came to be a hero he was shot in the head. After that night, the remaining Maniax confirmed that Theo Galavan had been helping them, and had broken them out of Arkham in the first place. The next day, they went to Blackwood prison and helped dozens of prisoners escape. Since then, most have been locked up, but some were never found and others were killed. They continued on like this, occasionally recruiting new members to join the Maniax.  
  
You put down the pencil and read over what you had written. Yeah, they were pretty bad. Like, really bad. You frowned and read over the paragraph a couple more times. After a few minutes, you dropped the book, finally realizing who you were basically living with. However, then the doorbell rang. "G.C.P.D.!" You recognized that voice from news reports and multiple other times. Jim Gordon. "(Y/N), are you in there?!" It was your dad, false worry in his voice. The doors opened, you heard them click, and you almost forgot to breathe. You were terrified.  
"Jerome, we have a warrant." Jim said in a low voice.  
"Ah, Jimbo! Haven't seen you in a while!" Jerome said. You heard the smile in his voice.  
"Do you know this woman?" You heard fumbling of paper, they must have been showing him a photo of you.  
"Nope. Never have." He said.  
"Then it should be fine if we search your house, eh?" Jim growled.  
"Nah. It really wouldn't." Jerome replied.  
"Okay, fine. Jerome Valeska, you are under arrest for murder, attempted murder-" He was cut short as the doors slammed shut, and his voice was muffled. You heard banging on the door, and clicking of something, maybe a lock.  
"We'll be back!" You heard someone yell. You heard Cassandra's voice.  
"Hey, Jerome, what was that all about?" She said.  
"Jim's upset about our friend (Y/N)." He said. You walked out of your room. "Oh, I see." Cassandra replied with a frown. "Shouldn't you, like, kick her out then?" She asked. You rolled your eyes.  
"We went over this already. I'm staying." You said to her, and she shrugged, still smiling.  
"Okay!" She said. The druggie/gang guy walked out of his room and slid past you. Great, a drug dealer was sleeping only a couple rooms away from you.  
"Hey." He said gruffly.  
"Hello..." Jerome said with a frown.  
"Sean." He said, and he stood, his hands shoved in his pockets.  
"Hello, Sean." Jerome said happily. He shrugged in response.  
"So, what are we gonna do today?" Cassandra asked, looking over Jerome. He clapped his hands.  
"There we go, good questions are being asked." Jerome said with a grin. "Cole! Aaron!" He called. They came into the room a moment later.  
"Today, we're gonna go into the suburbs of Gotham!" Jerome exclaimed. The four were excited. "Okay, and what are we gonna do?" Cassandra asked. Her eyebrows were raised. "Well, cause chaos, terrorize Gotham, blah blah blah." Jerome shrugged. Sean grunted. "Sounds good." Cole rasped. Aaron nodded, smiling. Cassandra shrugged in agreement. Sean nodded. "Alright. Aaron, would you show 'em where they can get their weapon of choice?" Jerome asked. Aaron grinned and they followed him into the West wing. You looked over at Jerome and sighed. "Can you not go today?" You asked shakily. He frowned. "Why?" He asked, tilting his head to the side. "Because." You shrugged. "What if Jim Gordon comes back? Or my parents." He nodded. "Yeah..." He said. "And you always go out anyways. Just put Aaron in charge." You pleaded. He sighed. "Okay, doll, but if they mess up out there, it is your fault." He said playfully. You smiled. Aaron returned with the team, and Cassandra wielded a handgun. Sean had a switchblade. Cole had something that looked like a flamethrower. Aaron had nothing. "Aaron, you're in charge today. I gotta make sure Jimbo doesn't show up again." Jerome said, and Aaron nodded. Cassandra narrowed her eyes, and a smile spread across your face. "See you later." You said quietly as they left the house. After a quick moment you heard the Humvee start, and Jerome smiled at you. "Okay, birdy, what do you usually do when you're home alone, eh?" He asked. "Sleep." You shrugged. He rolled his eyes. "So, so boring." He dragged out the word boring. "Yeah, well..." You sighed and he laughed, hearing the Humvee drive off. You looked around the foyer and headed for the couch, sitting down. He faked a yawn. "What you do all day is no fun. No excitement, adventure!" He complained. You glared at him. "Eh, fine." He shrugged and walked over to you, sitting on the couch next to you. "Hey, Jerome?" You said softly. "What is it, dollface?" He asked with a small smile. "What if they come in? Or shoot you?" You asked with a frown. "Birdy, that won't happen." He laughed. "But it could." You countered. "(Y/N), they won't touch a hair on your pretty head." He replied. You blushed. "I won't let them." He added. You blinked. "Okay, I get your point. I wont get hurt." You said with a small smile. He chuckled, but didn't say anything. You didn't know what to say, so you stayed quiet for a couple minutes. You almost doze off, but snapped back to reality when Jerome cleared his throat. "So, doll, what do you say we do something other than sit around, hm?" He suggested. You thought about sleeping. He was probably thinking of killing people. "Uh, let's not have it involve killing people, okay?" You requested. He rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine." He smirked and you raised an eyebrow. "I think I'm gonna go eat something before you come up with some crazy plan." You said. You stood, and walked towards the kitchen, where the man who had sneered at you the other day in the hall was standing around. He looked you up and down and shrugged. "Uh, who are you, exactly?" You asked him quietly. He glared at you, and you finally recognized him. His hair was stringy and his nose was like a bird's beak. He was The Penguin. "Oh. Oh, okay." You nodded. "The Penguin." He smiled grimly and limped out of the kitchen with a quiet "that's right." You looked around the kitchen, and decided to check in the fridge. You opened it and looked inside. A box of pizza was sitting on a shelf at your eye level, so you opened it. Crumbs and grease were all you found, so you continued looking around. You found some orange juice and put it on the marble counter, and when you turned around after closing the door, Jerome was right there. "Oh my god, you scared me." You breathed, and he smiled. "Great. If you're hungry, you know, we have donuts on the table almost all the time." He pointed to the dining table and you frowned. A paper plate had two donuts on it, and you hadn't noticed it before. "Oh, okay. Thanks." You took the jug of orange juice and he grabbed your hand. You blushed slightly, and walked towards the table together. He let go of your hand and smirked. "Alright, gorgeous. Take one." He said. You took one of the donuts and took the jug and the donut to the couch. You lay down and ate your donut, and drank your juice. You didn't even realize he was gone until you focused on something other than your food, which just so happened to be him. You stood up and looked around. You looked in the kitchen, and then in a few of the rooms. "Jerome?" You said, frowning. He always seemed to do mysterious and unnecessary things like this. You grumbled and looked in his room. No luck. You peeked around the other rooms and came across the basement. "Jerome?" You called down. You heard some sort of clanking, and a growl. "Fuck! Doll, I'll be there in a moment!" He said in a sing song voice. It seemed strained, so you steered away from the stairwell and looked around the main room. There was a large flatscreen TV, but you couldn't find the remote anywhere. There didn't seem to be a button on the television either, so there went your entertainment. You looked around and found a slip of paper on a cushioned chair. It looked crumpled, and when you picked it up, you noticed it was ripped as well. You carefully unfolded it and read through the writing. It was yours, and it was the note you had written to remind yourself of how bad Jerome really was. He must have read it, you decided. "Hey, doll, whatcha got there?" You hadn't even noticed him come upstairs. You jumped a little. "Huh? Oh. Piece of paper I found." You shoved it into your pocket and smiled. "You can leave if you want." Jerome said. You shook your head. "Nope, uh, I don't really want to." You replied with a curt nod. "Why is that?" He asked, and he sounded intrigued. "I... maybe it's Stockholm Syndrome, I don't know." You chuckled softly. "Hm, really?" He said, and he raised an eyebrow. "Joke." You shrugged. Jerome nodded slowly. "Is everything okay? You're acting weird." You said, frowning and walking towards him. He looked at the ceiling and scratched the back of his head. He's squinted his eyes slightly and tilted his head to the left a bit. "Yeah, doll. Worried for the others." He replied. You sighed and pulled out the note. "You read it, didn't you?" You waved the ripped and crumbled paper in front of him. "I don't think I'm gonna leave. I'll probably go to jail if I do, and I don't have anywhere else to go. But it isn't like I'm stuck here, I just don't..." You trailed off and a smirk spread across his freckled face. You frowned and rolled the paper into a ball once again before dropping it. "What's so funny, Jerome?" You asked, unamused. He continued smirking and you glared at him. He sighed. "Sorry, doll. It's funny when you get all serious." He said, still smiling slightly. "Uh, how is that funny?" You replied. He shrugged and you looked down at your feet. "Okay, (Y/N). I won't mess with you if I can help it." He smiled and you looked up at him. "Jerome..." You shook your head and he looked up as faint voices were heard outside. Your eyes widened and you looked towards the door and back to Jerome. He was watching the door. "G.C.P.D.! Open up or we knock down the door." You shook your head and put your hands on your head. "Closet." Jerome pushed you into a closet and shut the door before you heard footsteps and the door opening. Then you heard a gun cock, and you breath hitched in your throat. "Who the hell are you?" Jerome said. A deep, rough voice replied after a quick moment. "Nathaniel. Nathaniel Barnes, commissioner of the-" "Ah! You replaced Essen, hm?" Jerome replied. You felt around the closet, and noticed almost nothing was in there but a broom and some cleaning supplies. It was mainly dark, as the door had been shut, and you felt around for a switch or a flashlight. You found nothing and sank down, bumping into the broom as you did so and freezing in the closet. You closed your eyes and heard the police man barking angrily. "What the fuck was that?" Barnes asked. You shuddered and opened your eyes again. "Lemme in here." You heard him say, and heard shuffling and growling. "Fuck off! It's my house!" You heard Jerome say, but it was clearly no use as you heard him opening and closing drawers furiously. "Hey, where is she?" He growled at Jerome. You held your breath. "Who? What the hell do you want? Get out of here!" Jerome yelled in response. You sighed quietly and heard scuffling along with small grunts. "Argh!" You heard one of them cry out but you couldn't decide which one it was. "Get the hell out, and don't come back!" You heard the doors slamming and pushed the door slightly with your foot. "Uh, Jerome?" You said softly. He walked over and opened the door. His face was red with anger and you stood up, smiling grimly. You stepped out of the closet and he grabbed you. You flinched and he pulled you into a hug, and you hugged him back tightly. "Sorry, birdy. I really am." His voice was rough and when you looked at his face, it was bruised and bloody. A purple blotch was right on his cheekbone, and his eyebrow was bleeding badly. His lip was also bleeding and his nose had been punched a good many times. His left eye was swollen. "Jerome, your face..." you said softly. You pulled away from him and looked at his beaten face. "There's blood all over you." You frowned, and he laughed throatily. "Yeah, it's fine." He shrugged and you glared at him. Rain began pattering on the roof and you sighed. "No, you need to get cleaned up. Come on." You grabbed his hand and dragged him to the closest bathroom. He stumbled along and you sighed, shuffling through the drawers until you found disinfectant. You dipped toilet paper into the bottle and turned to Jerome. He was smiling. "Doll, I don't need your care." He said. You frowned and swabbed the paper over some of the cut. You turned on the sink and took another piece of paper and wiped away the blood. "Well, you are bloody and bruised. And I don't think you can be trusted not to accidentally, I don't know... get this stuff in your eye." You waved the antiseptic paper and he snorted. "Yeah, fair enough." He chuckled. You looked him over as you continued to wash his face and groaned. "Your shirt is... so bloody." You sighed and cleaned up hid face until band aids and bruises seemed to be the worse. "Thanks, gorgeous." He winked at you and walked off. You threw away the toilet paper and sighed, leaving the bathroom and jumping when you saw Jerome walking towards you. "Where'd you come from?" You asked with a smile. He shrugged and smirked. "Thin air!" He said with a smile and a couple sound effects and hand movements.

**Author's Note:**

> I am aware that this is terrible, Jerome might be OOC sometimes, etc. If anything needs fixing, let me know!


End file.
